​The Whatcom Peace & Justice Center is accepting nominations for the 2016 Howard Harris Lifetime Peacemaker Award to be presented at the 13th Annual International Day of Peace on Wednesday, September 21, at the Majestic (1027 N. Forest Street in Bellingham), 6:30-8 p.m.

Nominations should be emailed to office@whatcompjc.org and must include a summary describing the nominee's life-long passion for peace, activities, accomplishments, and organizational affiliations. Nominations are due by Friday, August 5, 2016. People nominated in previous years are eligible; their nominators should re-submit nominations for consideration.

The United Nations declared September 21 a worldwide 24-hour cease-fire to envision a world without weapons, violence, and oppression. Here in Bellingham, our International Day of Peace is a well-attended annual event celebrating the work of the peace and social justice community. Please join us for an inspiring evening, musical guests, and the presentation of the Howard Harris Lifetime Peacemaker Award. The event is free and open to the public.

The Whatcom Peace and Justice Center and Voices for Peace in the Middle East are sponsoring a donation drive this summer to support refugees stranded in Europe.

Donations of soft goods and certain hard goods will be collected on August 20, 2016 at Saint James Church, 910 14th Street in Bellingham. A truckload will then be taken to Value Village, which will pay per pound for all items collected. The money will be used by the Salaam Cultural Museum for humanitarian and medical aid for people affected by conflict and natural disaster in the Middle East.

Where to take donationsThe main collection date is August 20. Between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., people can bring their donations to the parking lot behind Saint James Church (910 14th Street in Fairhaven).

Assistance with delivering your donationsAssistance can be arranged for community members unable to store or transport their donations to the church on August 20. Please call Martina at (425) 213-2394 to arrange a pick-up.

Financial donationsYou can make monetary gifts directly to the Salaam Cultural Museum.

Facilitator: Nicholas MeleNick Mele began practicing nonviolence as a college student. He spent almost 30 years as a diplomat before retiring to devote himself full time to building nonviolent alternatives to militarism. He was a founding staff member of the Nonviolent Peaceforce and has designed and facilitated nonviolent actions, gatherings, and trainings around the world. He is a co-founder of the Whatcom Peace & Justice Center and is currently working with Pax Christi International to build a campaign to abolish nuclear weapons in the U.S.

A two-part workshopSaturday, July 23 and Saturday, July 30, 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m. (with a 10-minute break)

Contributors

We invite the WPJC community to contribute fact-checked submissions on local, national and global current events. Linking to original sources and articles is required. Submissions may be sent to office@whatcompjc.org for review.